U.S. patent number 5,564,204 [Application Number 08/459,487] was granted by the patent office on 1996-10-15 for ski boot with a pole-activated stop release.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Lange International S.A.. Invention is credited to Cesare Cagliari, Antoine Volanis.
United States Patent |
5,564,204 |
Cagliari , et al. |
October 15, 1996 |
Ski boot with a pole-activated stop release
Abstract
Ski boot having a lower part (1) and a shaft (4, 12) articulated
on the lower part and including, at the rear, a movable stop (15)
mounted on one of the parts of the boot and interacting with a
fixed stop (20) mounted on the other part of the boot to hold the
shaft in downhill position, inclined towards the front. The movable
stop (20) is equipped with an arm (22) passing through the shaft of
the boot on its external side so as to be capable of being actuated
by a pole.
Inventors: |
Cagliari; Cesare (Bigolino,
IT), Volanis; Antoine (Paris, FR) |
Assignee: |
Lange International S.A.
(Fribourg, CH)
|
Family
ID: |
4226112 |
Appl.
No.: |
08/459,487 |
Filed: |
June 2, 1995 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
|
Jul 1, 1994 [CH] |
|
|
2 110/94 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
36/118.7;
36/118.2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A43B
5/0429 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A43B
5/04 (20060101); A43B 005/04 (); A43B 005/16 () |
Field of
Search: |
;36/117-121,109,50.5 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0375604 |
|
Feb 1990 |
|
EP |
|
2619317 |
|
Feb 1989 |
|
FR |
|
3201702 |
|
Sep 1982 |
|
DE |
|
WO9312683 |
|
Aug 1993 |
|
WO |
|
Primary Examiner: Dayoan; B.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Kane, Dalsimer, Sullivan, Kurucz,
Levy, Eisele and Richard, LLP
Claims
We claim:
1. A ski boot having an internal and external side and a front and
rear, and comprising a lower part (1) surrounding a foot and a heel
of a skier and a shaft (4,12) articulated on the lower part, said
boot further comprising, at the rear, a first stop (20; 44; 50)
fixedly mounted on the lower part (1) of the boot and a second stop
(15; 25; 40; 50), interacting with said first stop, mounted on the
shaft of the boot to hold the shaft in downhill position, inclined
towards the front, the second stop being mounted movably so as to
allow restraightening and oscillation of the shaft on the lower
part (1) of the boot, the second movable stop (15; 25; 40; 50) is
equipped with an arm (22; 28; 42; 52) passing through the shaft of
the boot on the external side thereof, so as to be capable of being
actuated by pressure exerted thereon by a pole.
2. The ski boot as claimed in claim 1, wherein the arm (22; 42; 52)
is rigidly integral with the movable stop.
3. The ski boot as claimed in claim 2, wherein the movable stop
(15; 25) is articulated about a horizontal axis transverse to the
boot.
4. The ski boot as claimed in claim 2, wherein said shaft has a
back wall and wherein the second movable stop (40; 50) is mounted
rotatably about an axis essentially perpendicular to the wall of
the shaft or of the lower part of the boot.
5. The ski boot as claimed in claim 4, wherein the movable stop
(40) is mounted on the shaft of the boot.
6. The ski boot as claimed in claim 4, wherein the movable stop
(50) is mounted on the lower part (1) of the boot.
7. The ski boot as claimed in claim 1, wherein the movable stop
(25) is articulated on the shaft (12) about a horizontal axis
transverse to the boot and wherein said arm (28) is an elbowed arm
articulated on the movable stop and actuable by a bistable
push-button (29) holding the second movable stop out of the
trajectory of the fixed stop (20) in one of the movable stop's
stable positions.
8. The ski boot as claimed in claim 7, wherein the movable stop
(25) is pushed by a spring (27) in the direction of the lower part
of the boot and wherein the arm (28) articulated to the movable
stop is a link, the end of which bears, under the thrust of the
spring, in a depression in the form of a bowl of a bearing piece
(34) of the push-button (29), this bearing piece being equipped
with radial arms (38) engaged in parallel grooves (33) formed in
the wall of a cylindrical housing (32), these grooves being
alternately short and long, of a length limited by a stop wall
limiting the displacement of the radial arms of the bearing piece
in the grooves, and wherein the push-button (29) is mounted
slidingly, but retained in rotation, and has one end in the form of
a crown equipped with a toothing made of ratchet teeth (36) which
come to bear on the radial arms (38) of the bearing piece when the
push-button is pressed, in such a manner that the inclines of its
teeth, by bearing on the radial arms of the bearing piece, tend to
drive the bearing piece rotationally and that when said radial arms
(38) escape from said grooves, the bearing piece turns by one turn
and each of its arms passes from one groove to the following
groove.
9. A ski boot having an internal and external side and a front and
rear and comprising a lower part (1) surrounding a foot and a heel
of a skier and a shaft (4,12) articulated on the lower part, said
boot further comprising, at the rear, a first stop (20; 44; 50)
fixedly mounted on the lower part (1) of the boot and a second stop
(15; 25; 40; 50), interacting with said first stop, mounted on the
shaft of the boot to hold the shaft in downhill position, inclined
towards the front, the second stop being mounted movably so as to
allow restraightening and oscillation of the shaft on the lower
part (1) of the boot, the second movable stop (15; 25; 40; 50) is
equipped with an arm (22; 28; 42; 52) passing through the shaft of
the boot on the external side thereof, so as to be capable of being
actuated by essentially vertical pressure exerted by a pole,
wherein the movable stop (25) is articulated on the shaft (12)
about a horizontal axis transverse to the boot and wherein said arm
(28) is an elbowed arm articulated on the movable stop and actuable
by a bistable push-button (29) holding the movable stop out of the
trajectory of the fixed stop (20) in one of the movable stop's
stable positions,
wherein the movable stop (25) is pushed by a spring (27) in the
direction of the lower part of the boot and wherein the arm (28)
articulated to the movable stop is a link, the end of which bears,
under the thrust of the spring, in a depression in the form of a
bowl of a bearing piece (34) of the push-button (29), this bearing
piece being equipped with radial arms (38) engaged in parallel
grooves (33) formed in the wall of a cylindrical housing (32),
these grooves being alternately short and long, of a length limited
by a stop wall limiting the displacement of the radial arms of the
bearing piece in the grooves, and wherein the push-button (29) is
mounted slidingly, but retained in rotation, and has one end in the
form of a crown equipped with a toothing made of ratchet teeth (36)
which come to bear on the radial arms (38) of the bearing piece
when the push-button is pressed, in such a manner that the inclines
of its teeth, by bearing on the radial arms of the bearing piece,
tend to drive the bearing piece rotationally and that when said
radial arms (38) escape from said grooves, the bearing piece turns
by one turn and each of its arms passes from one groove to the
following groove.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a ski boot constituted by a lower
part surrounding the foot and the heel and by a shaft articulated
on the lower part, and comprising, at the rear, a first stop
mounted on the lower part of the boot and interacting with a second
stop mounted on the shaft of the boot to hold the shaft in downhill
position, inclined towards the front, one of these stops being
mounted movably so as to allow restraightening and oscillation of
the shaft on the lower part.
PRIOR ART
From the U.S. Pat. No. 3,543,421, a boot is known, the shaft of
which, articulated on a shell, is equipped with an adjustable stop
interacting with a stop fixed to the shell.
From the U.S. Pat. No. 4,499,676 in the name of the applicant, a
boot is known, the shaft of which is equipped with a rocker with a
spring, the lower arm of which comes to butt against a stop fixed
on the shell. Pressure on the upper arm of the rocker makes it
possible to free the shaft.
The patent FR 2 619 317 likewise describes a boot, the shaft of
which is equipped with a rocker, it being possible to free the
shaft of the boot simultaneously with the opening of a clamping
lever mounted at the rear of the boot and acting in the manner of a
cam on the upper arm of the rocker.
It is likewise known to act on the upper arm of the rocker by means
of a cam actuated by a rotary button or by a push-button mounted at
the rear of the boot.
In all cases, the skier has to bend down to free the shaft in order
to be able to restraighten the leg and adopt the rest or walking
position. This freeing of the shaft is most frequently desired in a
queue for a ski-lift and in such a queue it is inconvenient, even
dangerous, to bend down or to crouch.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The aim of the present invention is to allow freeing of the shaft
without bending down, that is to say by using a ski pole. To this
end, the skier has to be able to press with his pole on an easily
accessible member without necessitating contortions on the part of
the skier.
The aim of the present invention is to produce a boot which
satisfies the above requirements.
The boot according to the invention is characterized in that the
movable stop is equipped with an arm passing through the boot on
its external side so as to be capable of being actuated by
essentially vertical pressure exerted by a pole.
The shaft of the boot can be in the form of a one-piece collar,
such as described in the French patent 2 661 076, or in the form of
a two-piece reconstituted collar such as described in French patent
2 673 081 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,243,774) or even in the form of a collar
which is indented at the rear for broad tilting and an auxiliary
cap such as are described in European patents 0 286 586 and U.S.
Pat. No. 4,839,973.
According to the embodiments, the arm is rigidly integral with the
movable stop or articulated on the movable stop.
The movable stop can be mounted either on the shaft or on the lower
part of the boot.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The attached drawing represents, by way of example, a few
embodiments of the invention.
FIG. 1 represents a right boot in closed position and shaft
retained in downhill position according to a first embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a view partially in longitudinal vertical section of the
boot represented in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a view in direction A of the control arm of the movable
stop of this first embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a view in partial section similar to that of FIG. 2
representing the same boot in open position, shaft freed.
FIG. 5 represents a second embodiment in downhill position,
according to a view similar to that of FIG. 2.
FIG. 6 is a detailed view, in direction A, of the control
push-button of the boot represented in FIG. 5.
FIG. 7 represents an exploded view of the control means of the
movable stop of this second embodiment.
FIG. 8 represents the second embodiment in the freed position of
the shaft.
FIG. 9 is a partial view of a third embodiment.
FIG. 10 is a partial view of a fourth embodiment.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The boot represented in FIGS. 1 to 8 is a boot with a reconstituted
collar, in two parts, of the same type as the boot described in
French patent 2 673 081 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,243,774). The boot
comprises a lower part constituted by a shell 1 of variable volume
surrounding the foot and the heel and closing on the foot via two
flaps 2 and 3 equipped with two clamping buckles 9 and 10, and by a
shaft constituted by a collar 4 surrounding the rear of the lower
leg via a relatively narrow bridge equipped at the front with two
flaps 5 and 6 and clamping buckles 7 and 8. The collar 4 is
articulated on the shell 1 by means of two opposite rivets such as
the rivet 11. The shaft of the boot is completed by a back part 12
extending over the entire length of the shaft and having the
general shape of a gutter equipped in its lower part with two
lateral arms 13 via which the part 12 is articulated on the shell
at two opposite points by means of two rivets such as the rivet 14,
situated below the rivet 11 and the rivet opposite the latter. The
joining of the parts 4 and 12 of the shaft in closed position such
as represented in FIG. 1 can be brought about for example as
described in patent application CH 717/94. An inner comfort boot 50
can also be seen.
In the first embodiment represented in FIGS. 1 to 4, the back part
12 of the shaft is equipped internally with a movable stop 15
constituted by an elongate piece articulated in its upper part
about an axis 16 at the end of a rod 17 which is integral with a
connection piece 18, the other end of which is articulated at a
point 19 in the upper half of the back part 12 of the shaft. The
piece 18 is a threaded sleeve playing the role of a nut for the rod
17 and making it possible, by being driven rotationally, to modify
the distance between the axes 16 and 19 and thus the inclination of
the shaft. Such a device is described in particular in the U.S.
Pat. No. 4,839,973. The sleeve 18 may also contain an elastic
damping device such as described in the U.S. Pat. No.
4,932,143.
The movable stop 15 interacts with a fixed stop 20 constituted by a
small elbowed plate fixed to the shell 1. The movable stop 15 is
held bearing against this small plate by a leaf spring 21 working
between the movable stop 15 and the internal wall of the part 12 of
the shaft. The movable stop 15 is equipped with a lateral arm 22
made in one piece with the stop and having at its end a plate 23.
The arm 22 passes through the back part 12 of the shaft via a slot
24 so that the plate 23 is situated on the outside of the boot, on
the external side of the latter. The slot 24 permits a slight
displacement downwards of the arm 22, which is just sufficient to
allow the movable stop 15 to move away from the fixed stop 20 by
pivoting about its axis 16.
In the locked position of the shaft represented in FIG. 2, when the
skier wishes to free the shaft of the boot to restraighten the leg,
he has only to exert by means of his pole a pressure P on the plate
23 which has the effect of making the movable stop 15 pivot. From
this freed position of the shaft, the boot can likewise be opened
as represented in FIG. 4 by tilting its back part 12 rearwards.
Rotation of the movable stop 15 in the direction of the shell 1 is
limited by the upper end of the slot 24 against which the arm 22 of
the movable stop comes to butt.
The boot according to the second embodiment, represented in FIGS. 5
to 8, comprises a movable stop 25 constituted by a small plate
articulated by its upper end by means of an axis 26 directly on the
back part 12 of the shaft. Fixed on the internal wall of the part
12 of the shaft is a leaf spring 27 which tends to push the movable
stop 25 against the fixed stop 20. Articulated at an intermediate
point of the movable stop 25 is an elbowed arm 28 having a part 28a
essentially parallel to the axis of the shaft of the boot and via
which the rod 28 can be actuated by means of a push-button 29
mounted in an oblong housing 30 constituted by a depression formed
in the external wall of the back part 12 of the shaft. The rod 28
therefore constitutes a sort of elbowed link. The lower part of the
housing 30 has a lip 31 in which an annular piece 32 (FIG. 6) is
fixed, which is equipped internally with ribs 33 and in which a
bearing piece 34 can slide, the center of which is in the form of a
bowl in which the end of the elbowed arm 28 comes to engage.
The push-button 29 is a bistable push-button of the type used in
certain ballpoint pens. The components of this push-button are
represented in the exploded view in FIG. 7. The push-button 29 has
on the one hand longitudinal ribs 35 engaged in ribs of the annular
piece 32 so that the push-button 29 is prevented from turning about
its axis. The push-button 29 is in the form of an inverted bush,
the lower edge of which is equipped with a toothing made of ratchet
teeth 36. The upper end of the push-button 29 has a depression 37
intended to retain laterally the tip of the ski pole used for
pressing the push-button. The bearing piece 34 is equipped with
four radial arms 38 engaged in the grooves 33 of the annular piece
32 and capable of sliding in these grooves. In a manner known per
se, the grooves 33 are alternately short and long and limited by a
stop wall limiting the longitudinal displacement of the radial arms
38 of the bearing piece in the grooves. The width of the teeth of
the ratchet toothing 36 is such that when the push-button 29 is
pressed, the inclines of the teeth 36, which come to bear on the
radial arms 38 of the bearing piece, tend to drive the bearing
piece rotationally so that when the radial arms 38 escape from the
grooves 33, the bearing piece turns by one turn and each of its
arms passes from one groove to the following groove, that is to say
from a long groove to a short groove, then from a short to a long
groove and so on. FIG. 5 represents the bearing piece 34 at the
bottom of the long grooves. In this position, the movable stop 25
can come to catch on the fixed stop 20, locking the shaft.
Pressure by means of the ski pole on the push-button 29 has the
effect of making the radial arms 38 pass from the bearing piece 34
into the short grooves, as FIG. 8 represents. The arms 28, driven
by the bearing piece 34, then move the movable stop 25 away from
the fixed stop 20, making it possible to restraighten the shaft of
the boot and to make its back part 12 tilt for the opening of the
boot as represented in FIG. 8. As the push-button 29 is bistable,
the movable stop 25 remains in the position represented in FIG. 8
until there is renewed pressure on the push-button 29. The spring
of the bistable push-button 29 is constituted by the spring 27 of
the movable stop.
The hollow 30 constitutes simultaneously a guide for the end of the
pole on the push-button.
FIG. 9 represents partially a third embodiment consisting of a
movable stop 40 mounted rotatably about an axis 41 perpendicular to
the wall of the back part 12 of the shaft of the boot and equipped
with an arm 42 passing through an essentially vertical slot 43
formed in the part 12 of the shaft so that pressure P on the end of
the arm 42 makes the movable stop 40 pivot so as to move the latter
away from a fixed stop 44 integral with the shell 1 of the boot.
The return of the movable stop 40 into the position represented can
be carried out by a spring, such as a hunting-horn-shaped spring or
a leaf spring.
The movable stop does not necessarily have to be on the shaft of
the boot. FIG. 10 represents diagrammatically a fourth embodiment
obtained by reversal of the preceding embodiment. It is constituted
by a movable stop 50 articulated on the shell 1 about an axis 51
perpendicular to the shell and equipped with an arm 52 passing
through the back part 12 of the shaft via a slot 53. Pressure P on
the end of the arm 52 has the effect of making the movable stop 50
pivot and of moving it away from a fixed stop 54 integral with the
part 12 of the shaft.
The bistable push-button 29 could of course be replaced by any
other embodiments of bistable buttons, for example push-buttons of
switches such as are used in certain electrical installations.
The movable stop could likewise be sliding and displaceable
transversely to the boot. It could consist of a retractable stop of
the type represented in the patent EP 0 375 604.
* * * * *